End of Summer Cobb Salad

If you haven’t noticed, I rarely post salad recipes. That’s mostly because salads remind me of my days when I used to count calories and eat salads that tasted like balls in order to be skinny and still be unhappy. So to me, salads = unhappiness. But before you get up and yell at me, I do eat delicious salads on occasion and love them. So I tried to create me own. My girlfriend Sarah thought a cobb salad with shrimp would be a delicious idea, so I ran with it. And put peaches in it. Because peaches are in season here and they are delicious. And since peaches are in season, that means summer is coming to a close. I hate when summer ends. That means I am one day closer to snow. And digging my car out at 5 in the morning to get to work. Dislike. So really, this salad reminds me of unhappiness. Shucks. I tried.

I’m just kidding. It was awesome. I wouldn’t post a salad that tasted like sh*t. That’s just flat out wrong.

So before I forget, I want to chat with my acne sufferers about what I’ve been up to while trying to solve my own acne bullsh*t. It’s amazing to see the comments and emails and messages I get from people who are suffering from the same thing. So this is what I’ve been doing. I cut out nuts completely and cut out fruit and sugar for quite sometime. The other day I had some nuts and some sugar when I was trying the carmelitas recipes and I felt like dog poo after and my face broke out a little. So dumb. My body just hates those two things. Anyways, I’ve been doing oil cleansing for about 2-3 months now and have loved it. My skin feels way smoother and the deeper acne has begun to subside some.

This is what I do:

  • Mix together a mixture of 1 part castor oil to 5 parts jojoba (how in the hell do you even say that word?)
  • Rub it all over my face and into those dumb pores of mine
  • Put a wash cloth under extra hot water and ring it out. Then place a hot wash cloth over my face to steam it. I do that twice.
  • Then I oil up my face with coconut oil. Since I’m single and no one is sleeping over, I use A LOT of coconut oil. I smell awesome, just look weird. Laura likes it.
  • Then in the morning, I just splash my face with cold water and put on just a LITTLE bit of coconut oil as my moisturizer. Little is the main word there. You can look real weird if you put too much on.

A few people have mentioned that they can tell the difference or it’s looking better. But this being my skin, I tell can a huge difference. I haven’t cried about my skin in almost a month. That’s huge. Not joking. So I know it must be better if I’m not annoying my friends with my complaining. So the summary of the story is, if your acne is making your life slightly miserable, try what I have tried. I’m no where near looking great, but it’s better and that’s what matters to me.

Let’s not talk about acne anymore because it’s dumb.

Let’s talk about something that’s even more dumb.

  1. Mass messages on Iphones.
  2. Mass messages on Facebook.

I hate them both. I don’t care what 23 other people have to say back to one message. Damn you poor technology inventors. Damn you.

Print

End of Summer Cobb Salad

Ingredients

For the salad

Instructions

  1. First you need to prepare all your ingredients. I already bought my shrimp precooked and chilled so they were ready to go. If not, cook your shrimp as desired and place in fridge to cool.
  2. Place your 2 eggs in a saucepan and cover with water. Cook for 15 minutes then place under cold water to cool, then peel and dice.
  3. Cook your bacon on both sides, place on a plate with a paper towel to soak up the excess fat then dice.
  4. Dice up you cucumber and peach.
  5. Place arugula in the bottom of a wide, shallow bowl, then top with cucumber, peach, shrimp, bacon, and eggs in any order.
  6. Now make your dressing.
  7. Add avocado to your food processor then while the food processor is still running, add your olive oil, vinegar, dijon mustard, lemon, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.
  8. Once thoroughly mixed, add your water to the food processor until you get the consistency you prefer for dressing. The more water you add, the more runny your dressing will be. The choice is yours. Lucky you.

Notes

*I had leftover dressing that I stored in an air tight container in the fridge and used the next day! *This was a pretty big salad so I ate it for two meals, but you can eat it all to yourself for one. That means you’re a badass.

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Oh, Hi! I’m Juli.

I’m a food hoarder. And a really bad dancer. If you don’t know me well, you will probably not understand my humor. Therefore, I apologize ahead of time. Thanks for listening to my ramblings of my ever-changing life and trusting my kitchen mishaps. Your trust in me is appreciated.

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68 thoughts on “End of Summer Cobb Salad”

  1. Why did you have to say the summer is ending? So sad. But this looks delicious and my 21 day sugar detox ends tomorrow so I can’t wait to eat me some peaches.

  2. Hey Juli! I’m 26 and still suffer from acne. Yesterday, I was getting my eyebrows done and the lady decided to give me some unrequested advice! “You are too oily! You need to wash your face twice a day. It’ll help get rid of your blemishes…” Oh thanks random lady!! You don’t think I freaking wash my face?!? Anyway, I went home and cried. Paleo has improved my skin a little. I’m going to try to do a whole 30 and cut out sugar next month, as well as start the OCM. Perhaps that is too much all at once, but I’ll give it a go and see how my face looks.

    1. I hate when people say stupid stuff like that! Especially when they’re in a professional situation. I am an athlete, and a nurse once told me I needed to “start exercising and lose some weight”. She must have forgotten that my resting heart rate was 55bmp. Ughh.

      anyways, try Mario Badescu “Drying lotion”

      http://www.mariobadescu.com/Drying-Lotion?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping-feed&utm_campaign=product-feed&gdftrk=gdfV25180_a_7c1543_a_7c6102_a_7c83&gclid=CLqz-Mnw_bECFUZfTAodIWQAog

      They carry it at come ULTA locations, and they also carry a knockoff that is just as good! It works miracles, I swear!

      1. Ugh! My mother made a comment about my huge ass and thunder thighs a couple weeks ago. You try squatting serious weight without a big ass, mother, you try *major eye roll*

  3. ‘ ho-ho-bah ‘ – jojoba
    It is the closest natural occurring oil to our skins own natural oils, so our skin absorbs it quite easily, without clogging pores. Great recipe and good luck this weekend in CO Open!

  4. That salad looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it. It will be an excellent meal for my 16 yo daughter who is a type 1 diabetic, as it is super healthy and has hardly any carbs. She is such a salad fanatic!

    A quick note about acne – my 19 yo daughter has suffered terribly with acne since she was 12. She has tried everything over the years with no results whatsoever! Finally, a couple of months ago I started her using a regimen of products by Young Living for her face routine, and the results have been amazing! She has even been able to get rid of the acne scarring that she’s had for so many years.

    She washes her face and neck with Young Living Thieves Foaming Hand soap, which is highly anti-bacterial. Next, she sprays Thieves Spray in her hand and rubs that all over the face. She will sometimes add a small amount of coconut oil on top of the Thieves Spray. Finally, she puts 2 drops of Young Living Lavender Essential oil in her hands and rubs that all over her face and neck.

    The difference has been night and day! She used to be so self-conscious about her skin, but not anymore!

    Keep up the great work – I LOVE your blog!

    Shelley Wipper
    http://www.younglivinghealingessentialoils.com

    1. AGREE! with you on the Theives! One of my coworkers turned me on to YL a while back in regards to toothpaste. I had been considering using Theives on my face before I started eating paleo. I was lucky enough to have my face clear up as soon as I cut out grains. Now anyone who looks at my face can tell if I have had any grains within a couple of hours of eating them! I’ve been using coconut oil as a moisturizer for about a year now and I love it. I found out by accident that with my skin it works better than aloe on sun burns as well. And I slap castor oil on any sort of skin issue: cuts, bruises, stress spots. It works great for me.

      Can’t wait to try this dressing! We eat salad all the time (always sitting on a plate next to a huge piece of meat of some kind) and I run out of dressing ideas. Salad is so much fun this time of year when all the veggies are fresh and so tasty!

  5. I second that my ass is getting big from squatting tons of weight. Why can’t it just get smaller? Not to mention, mass facebook messages suck but at least you can leave them, you can’t leave mass text messages, and the worst is when someone doesn’t have an iphone so they text you directly, and you’re like “who the hell is this moron stuck in the stone ages” that sucks.

    Crossfit and sugar has made my skin a hot mess. All that sweating and filthy grimy gym is ruining my skin. Oh and all that sugar, chocolate, desert etc… maybe thats why my ass is so big?

    Anyway, recipe looks great, last photo is food porn perfection.

    xoxo Jessica
    http://www.mystylevita.com

  6. This will salade will definitely fill you up! + healthy + colorful + delicious!
    Thank you, I think I’m going to make a salade tonight inspired by this one.

    Sam Ana

  7. Hi Juli,
    I make all your recipes, but can’t cook a hard boiled egg (no joke)…the shells ALWAYS stick and it’s because I cook it too long. Start them in cold, then wait till it boils, but what kind of boil (like barely there bubbles?)…then remove. Everyone makes em a little different. I love them, but always eff em up. Thanks for your help! Lynn

    1. Lynn,

      I’ve always struggled to make hard boiled eggs too! They’re sneaky little buggers. Anyway, recently I started doing this and they come out perfectly every time:

      1. Put eggs in a pot, cover with at least 1 inch of water other the tops (very important).
      2. Add 1 tablespoon-ish of vinegar and cover with lid
      3. Bring to a rolling boil – big bubbles
      4. Keep covered, but reduce heat so as to maintain the rolling boil, but not boil over and create a mess. Set the timer for 10 minutes.
      5. While the eggs are boiling, fill a big bowl with ice. Lotsa ice.
      6. After 10 minutes, fish each egg out of the pot with a slotted spoon, put into the bowl of ice.
      7. Once eggs are all in, fill the bowl the rest of the way with cold tap water. Let eggs sit in there until they are cool. Then fridge ’em and enjoy!

      1. Susie, I just called you Juli…your input on the hb eggs must sound so PaleOMG, I got confused! Thanks again SUSIE!!!

        1. Hey Lynn,
          the shells will always stick to the egg if the eggs are fresh. It’s better to use 1-2 week old eggs for hard boiling because they have started to dehydrate a little and the inner lining starts to pull away from the shell, giving you easy peeling.
          I think the vinegar in Sue’s recipe is recreating that dehydration effect, but you can always just shove some eggs to the back of the fridge as well 🙂

    2. Also, don’t use “fresh” eggs. I don’t really get that idea. I guess there are people that buy eggs to save in case they want to make non-sticking shell hard boiled eggs in the indeterminate future. I don’t plan that well so I buy the prepared Egglands Best Hard Boiled Eggs. BUT, the method above does work really well if you do happen to have oldish eggs on hand! I used it when I was scared of eating eggs everyday and the hung around longer than they do these days! Good luck!

      1. A note on “fresh/old eggs”: I leave the eggs I am going to hardboil out when I go to bed and make them in the morning. I read this helps age them quickly and will prevent the shells from sticking. Combined with adding vinegar to the water, it seems to really work. Good luck!

        1. Thanks Stephen! Vinegar, leave em out, age ’em…got it! I just KNEW there were hbe secrets buried out there!

    3. For what it’s worth, I’ve also found the brand makes a HUGE difference. I buy eggs at Trader Joe’s and rarely have the sticking problem. But if I buy eggs at Sprouts, they almost always stick to the shell when hard boiled. So I use those eggs for something else other than hard boiling. Eggland’s Best is always 50/50 for me as well. And brown versus white eggs, seems to be the same either way as far as sticking or not. Just depends on the brand. So if I know I’m going to be mostly hard boiling my eggs, I go with Trader Joe’s. But that could just be me…

    4. …and when all the other tricks don’t work, as often happens to me with the eggs I buy: put your already cooked in vinegar water, already cooled egg still in its shell in the freezer for about 10 minutes. That delicate thin membrane around the egg white freezes, expands then contracts as it comes back to room temp and slips right off. Just don’t freeze longer than 10 minutes. Ask me how I know.

  8. This looks so great, Juli! I will definitely be making this for dinner tonight.

    May I suggest Shu Uemura cleansing oils to try out? Yes, you have to order online since Shu pulled out of the U.S. retail market, which sucks because all of their products are fantastic. Yes, it’s expensive. But it works. People need to get over the notion that more oil creates more problems for skin when it’s actually the opposite that is true. I have extremely sensitive skin, and the cleansing oils are the only thing that really works for me. Check it:

    http://www.shuuemura-usa.com/_us/_en/skincare/product-family/cleansing-oils.aspx

  9. I, too, have cried because of my face. ugh
    On a happier note, glad you are finding a solution! And those peaches look tasty.

  10. With all that coconut oil I bet you smell like a bag of popcorn or maybe a piña colada. That’s yummy….Just don’t switch to avocado oil because then you would smell like mexican food and that’s not cool at all. Not cool I say….

  11. I love your recipes! I’ve failed to stick to paleo a few times in the past years, but your recipes have helped me enjoy the diet this time around.

    Do you have any makeup foundation suggestions for people with acne? I can’t seem to find a good foundation that won’t slide off my face after a few hours or make my face itch and break out more (mineral makeup included).

  12. Ooooo looks so yummy Juli! I can’t wait to go to the store tonight and make this! I do have a few avocados at home that need to be used soon maybe I will make some yummy dressing with those!! 🙂 I have been boycotting salads lately since I started paleo since I can’t use a lot of dressing and the dreaded croutons that I miss dearly!

    I HATE my acne too! I am 26 years old and get breaks out all the time around my chin area it drives me nuts! I feel like I am 14 years old again. I never had bad acne as a kid either.

    My fellow Crossfitters know we sweat like wildebeests at the gym and not just a standard shower will help. The lady that does my waxing tells me all the time to use Salicylic acid wipes where my skin breaks out most. I will try some coconut oil next is there a specific brand you recommend to lube up my face? Do you leave it on over night or just for a few hours?

    1. I just use the Tropical Traditions Gold Label brand because that’s what I have on hand and I lube up a ton at night and sleep all night with it. Your face is smooth in the morning, not greasy at all!

    2. Lavender essential oil is also a great thing to try if you don’t mind the scent. It helps to calm inflammation from a breakout! That way you don’t have to look at the throbbing redness of an awesomely horrifying zit!

  13. Seriously…. do you just think up of ways to make your subscribers drool….. Any more of this and MAC will short circuit!
    I posted this on my FB page – and EVERYONE is liking it – and hopefully, clicking right HERE!!!

    Cookbook launch date?? lol

  14. I am 29, and started washing my face with mineral oil (baby oil) about a year ago. I also use saliclyic acid at night (stridex wipes), and glycolic toner in the morning. My skin has never been better. Before that, I ALWAYS struggled with mild yet persistent breakouts. And I tried everything known to man. The gentler you are on your face, the better. And I LOVE LOVE your blog!

  15. I just found your website. Seriously, you’re a riot. I was skimming your old entries and I have one request: Please continue to refer to yourself as “JB.” It reminds me of Jack Black & Tenacious D. And that makes me smile. (Exhibit song “F*** Her Gently”) So, please… JB.

  16. Have you tried testing your PH balance? I have eaten paleo for 5+ years and only recently when trying to become more alkaline has my acne cleared up, AND I lost weight.
    Recipe looks like lunch tomorrow 🙂

  17. This recipe looks amazing! I am a certified skin care technician and always looking for natural remedies for my clients dealing with acne problems! I know a lot of people dislike random advice, but I’ve been at this for 8 years and I’ve learned a handy dandy thing or two!
    1: Don’t overwash your face, that 2x a day theory is bull caca. Overwashing= overdrying = over production of oils= breakout central. Wash once a day.
    2: Tea tree oil is an excellent blemish spot treatment, it helps to kill the bacteria without drying out the skin!
    3: Hormonal breakouts happen around the facial “line” (forhead, cheekbones, jawline), environmental breakouts happen everywhere else! If its hormonal, daily cleansing and tackling those little buggers with tea tree is your main line of defence, if it is environmental then stress, food, etc is the cause and you’re on the right track cutting things out!!
    I came across this blog recently and have spent hours (I’m embarrassed to admit how many) laughing to myself at your sense of humor, and drooling over these recipes!!

  18. I was wondering why at 41 I’d begun to have the acne of a 15 yr old. Dear Lord! I’ve already done my zit time! I was under the impression Paleo would make my skin gorgeous, and glowing. This is awful!

  19. Perfect timing…was asked to make a salad for work tomorrow and was wondering what the heck to make that everyone would like and I could still eat! Can’t wait now!

  20. Juli, how long did it take you do get better in the oly lifting staff? Just wondering because you posted that you can snatch 140, and one day I hope I’ll also be able to do that 😉 (crossfitting since December 11). P.S. I love your posts 🙂

  21. Hi Juli!

    I HATE to suggest this because I’m sure you’ve heard it…

    Done a caffeine detox? (I know you like your Americanos).
    What are your poops like?

    While recovering from an ED I did everything under the sun to balance/harmonize my body (hormones, weight, etc) and it seemed like no matter what, I was insatiably hungry. I noticed I wasn’t digesting too well, so I thought to cut out coffee. I felt like it gave me this false sense of alertness in the morning, and needed to blow out my energy on a workout, which left me too tired to make it until 1pm every day. (Plus suppressed my morning appetite AND made me sweat. I just felt like I wasn’t tuning into my body properly).
    I had weaned from a venti to a grande to a tall coffee every morning to have an, erm, ‘constitutional’, and finally a DECAF COFFEE, and then just said ‘eff it, lets try this’.

    So I was blocked up for only 1.5 days (no dairy), then I became regular, poops smoother, and can REALLY judge how I feel…after 2 weeks I’m less ‘zippy’ in the morning so I base my workouts accordingly and can last through the day. Less hunger. LESS SWEATING AND ANXIETY!!
    Also healing the gut lining with L-Glutamine and aloe vera.
    I don’t have acne problems, but I saw what cutting out coffee did for my digestion/body stress level.
    If you haven’t tried it, well…there’s a thought.
    Best wishes, and thanks for all you do!

  22. I love your blog and the pics of this salad are amazing!! I’m a photography nut and have really enjoyed seeing the progression of your photography skills. I’m not here to give any advice, but I feel your pain about the acne. I always had beautiful skin as a teen and then I entered my 20’s and boom! It was awful! I can’t tell you how many tears I’ve shed over my face. I just turned 40 a few months ago and finally have clear skin. I’m not sure exactly what caused the clear-up. I think I finally started doing a lot of things right all at the same time, the stars aligned and walla a miracle. I cut grains and sugar out of my diet which helped to balance my hormones and I use Origins. I recently bought a Clarisonic Mia 2 and love it! Never use mineral make up…I’m convinced that stuff is from the devil and is what finally sent me over the acne edge.

    Once again, love your blog! I will be first in line for a cookbook!!

  23. I made the dressing last night for a salad I took to a party. Everyone loved it and I had 2 people ask for the recipe!

  24. For once in my life I was able to open my fridge and have EVERY INGREDIENT for a recipe! Halleloo! So this was dinner, and it was AMAZING! I will cut a little of the dijon in the dressing but other than that for me this was perfection! 🙂

  25. You might just have really sensitive skin. I used to use Proactive and it didn’t work. So I read a blog abbot using oil-free, soap-free cleansers made for sensitive skin. I’m using Neutragena Ultra Sensitive cleanser right now and I love it. It smells good, it keeps my face soft and clear, and it doesn’t make me itchy or dry. And I use Alba Green Tea moisturizer also. So in love with it.

  26. I loved this Salad!!! I hope you don’t mind, but I put it on my Paleo recipe blog too. (With a link back to you of course!) And the dressing was amazing. I mixed up a double batch the next day. Thanks!

  27. I’m not sure if this was already said above, it was a lot of comments to read through, but you should really try cod liver oil. It tastes disgusting, even if you get the flavored kind, but it has made my skin completely different than it used to be. Liz Wolfe (Cave Girl Eats) talks about how it has helped her on her blog. It’s great stuff but again, tastes like cinnamon cod.

  28. I too have horrible acne and I found that drawing out salve works for the nasty cystic acne. It’s Ichammonthal 20% drawing out salve; I got it on amazon.com. I hope that helps, its seems to dry up the cystic acne that I get plagued with.

    I love your blog and I am definitely making the salad.

  29. Made this for lunch today.. Best salad I’ve ever had!
    P.S. I used pineapple instead of mango and it was phenominal

  30. Made a slight variation (chicken instead of shrimp) to your salad and my husband said it was the best meal I have ever made him! Very delighted my mom shared your site with me and very excited our first attempt at a Paleo meal was a success! Thank you!

  31. Hi Juli,

    I’m just now seeing your blog- love it. I wanted to share that I also have been fighting persistent acne forever. Literally, my entire life. I’m 25 and just now decided to go in for allergy tests and they gave me an even stricter than paleo diet (I didn’t know that existed- it does.) BUT I went to a gastroenterologist and they actually found a pesky bacteria that causes a few things that women have always called “normal”. Acne is one of them. With a bit stricter diet and some gentle medicine, the bacteria can be killed and skin and hair are better within months! I want to shout about this because no dermatologist EVER thought to look elsewhere. The skin itself might not be the problem- it’s what is effecting it. Anyways, just thought I’d offer another perspective!

  32. Ugh I am always so late when I feel the need to comment (and apparently staying up late curse you Internet).

    I had really bad acne too and I also now use coconut oil. Who would have thought that the dermatologists were about as “we’ll informed” as the nutritionists… I was told to never use oily products and absolutely no soap, only “cleansers” and harsh acids. Now I use Dr Bronners and coconut oil mixed with a little vitamin E and a tiny bit of tea tree essential oil. In the few times I get acne now, usually only at the change of seasons, I spot treat with the tea tree. I totally recommend it.

  33. I seriously have to run out to get peaches and more avocados tomorrow. I used all of my avocados for quad this weekend. 🙁

  34. Juli or anyone on here,
    Is this whole 30 approved??? and what do you all suggest with the shrimp. I dont eat it very often and not sure what I should be looking for?
    Jessica

  35. Juli, do you run to the kitchen in the morning to put coconut oil on your face?

    And regarding mass text messages: my sister has a iPhone. She sends 5 messages that can be one. Constantly. So I text her back. One. word. at. a. time.

    She gets the point. For the time being.

  36. Hey, just wondering. Could I use a blender instead of a food processor for the dressing? I havent yet bought one of those.

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